Bless this poor man's heart! This such a tragic ending to this long played out story! He really loved those chickens of his!

Andrew fought to the bitter end to keep his house... This is a tragic ending to his long and needless battle over what??? Chickens in his backyard.... What is this world coming to.... He was hurting no one and yet this good man lost everything, the animals he loved and the house he had paid for 16 years... He felt he had nothing more to live for... I ask any of you how would you feel if this was done to you or your family....

The entire mess was a contrived execution of excessive government power spearheaded by Roswell's legal department and neither Mayor Wood nor any representative of city council stepped up to the plate on Andrew’s behalf.

I agree with Potter. What a sad, sad ending to such a trivial molehill that Roswell Council turned into a mountain. Shame on every one of you! I hope you can sleep tonight.

National News...Such a proud moment for the City of Roswell! They beat the hell out of a sweet man just trying to keep his animals and hold onto his home. What is happening to the city that use to be people friendly?

A sad day for Roswell. Not sure how the Roswell City leaders are going to sleep tonight. shame on you.

A very sad day for Roswell and its citizens. But I disagree with the general sentiment of these posts. Laws are there for a reason. It isn't easy for any of us at times to meet their requirements but responsible people do. Ultimately, I don't know what gives Mr. Wordes the right to live outside the law I live within.

Shame on those evil, cruel, wicked demon possessed fools in Roswell, who would ruin a man's life for stupid, pathetic reasons! I'm a friend of Andrew's and I can say I'm sad and angry that no one helped him when he needed them most. He was a kind, decent man. He loved my best friend, and wanted to marry her. Roswell took her future with Andrew away from both of them. Now, the city and police have to live with his blood on their hands for the rest of their lives, knowing they hurt a lot of people who cared about Andrew. We all want justice for him! I am calling for a corruption investigation against the CIty of Roswell, for their theft of his house and destroying a man's life!

The spotlight needs to be focused on Assistant City Attorney Bob Hulsey.

Is there anything we can do in his memory? Is there a chicken sanctuary or something like that we could donate to?

This is so incredibly sad. For the first time ever I am so disappointed in Roswell.

Roswell sucks. He was a good person, trying to live a lifestyle that kept him close to nature. Property rights have to mean something or they could be the ruin or death of us all. They have to mean MORE than someone else's perceived worries over what someone else's lifestyle means to their perceived property values. As for chickens- they are funny, entertaining, giving creatures. They eat tons of bad bugs and ticks. One day when we all have lyme disease we'll wish we had chickens in our yards and not clustered so they can't move in inhumane chicken houses.

This makes me sick. To think that some stupid, petty bullies who run a dinky little town can get away with false imprisonment, extortion, and driving a man off his land... I don't think Andrew made the right decision by blowing himself up, but I do understand.... I really hope this draws the severe scrutiny the entire city government of Roswell deserves. .

I know Roswell has a new folk HERO in heaven. I hope his personal tragedy will be viewed as an act of self-sacrifice
to bring attention to the importance of governments learning compassion for their citizenry. I know our Roswell
Leadership, especially Mayor Wood, did not want this to happen. Now that it has, let the lessons be learned so that others will be treated better. We will miss him, he was so kind and willing to share! All of us lost a friend!

My name is Michael N Martin and I befriended Andrew Wordes during Jere Wood's Mayoral re~election campaign several years back. My self, Judie Raiford and Jere Wood tried to encourage Andrew to get back in the mode of being a contributing citizen. Offering him a free place to live in peace away from the lime light, cleaning up his yard of old cars, buying material possessions only prolonged the inevitable. We all have to work to get paid and then share the pay to live. Andrew had health issues but was too proud for welfare. He did not want to be a burden or a nuisance and chose this path on his own accord. Saying that the City and the Mayor and it's Council forced him to take his own life is not true. Thank goodness he had the respect of others enough to give them time to distance themselves from his decision to go out with a bang. I'm sad for the path he chose but i'm glad that he is no longer suffering. Peace be with you Andrew Wordes. I will cherish the time we had to laugh, eat and love the life style of the infamous Chicken man of Roswell. Kindest regards, MNM

Michael, the election is over. Say how you really feel. The staff at city hall ran our business out of town before we could get started with their petty nitpicking and surprise code revelations. We no longer live there, own a business there, or shop there. I cringe when I cross the county line headed that way. Obviously we had the means by which to leave. Some do not.

Is it true the flooding on Mr. Wordes property occurred because of improper grading when the church expanded? Why weren't fines imposed on the church as diligently as Mr Wordes?

I was on Andrew's property during the flood of 2009 and watched the waters of Hog Wallow Creek back up from the culvert under Hwy 9 as the result of poorly maintained storm water infrastructure. That culvert was blocked by tree limbs, and all sorts of vegetation which resulted in both his property & his home being flooded.

The city cited Andrew when he attempted to distribute dirt on his back yard that was washed away by this third flooding of his property AND HOME (his property flooded in 2002 and 2004). Mr. Wordes property never flooded prior to 2002 and the upstream development. Mr. Wordes lived at that location for 16-17 years.

The city had advise both Mr. Wordes & his neighbor that they would address the flooding with FEMA and recommend a buy out of their property but they repeatedly failed to do so until then State Senate Candidate John Albers addressed their failures with City representatives. Andrew has offered to sell out to the city on numerous occasions.
When the city wanted to put in a roundabout on Grimes Bridge they were quick to offer a financial settlement with a resident.

Now directly across from back yard was a commercial site that because of previous flooding was allowed to back fill right up the Creek which ultimately caused the flood waters to enter on to his yard instead of flooding low lying property in the rear of this commercial entity.
I hope that answers your question.
Lee Fleck

Mr. Wordes told me that Roswell’s legal department, after being insulted in the City’s own municipal court, filed a 55-page civil suit against him in an attempt to take his property. Mr. Wordes stated that he spoke with his court appointed lawyer and he said Roswell filed a Civil Law suit as opposed to a zoning violation which is a criminal infraction. The civil suit was filed by city attorneys in attempt to deny Mr. Wordes his right to a public defender.
Mr. Wordes told me that his public defender was a criminal defense lawyer and said that law suit is so involved and that his public defender didn't understand all of it but he did said "it looks like they are trying to lien and probably take your house." Andrew’s public defender said they spent a lot of time figuring out how to get you and it looks like they have.
Mr. Wordes lawyer also said he wasn't aware that a civil lawsuit like this has ever been filed in Roswell City Court before.

Mr. Turner, Please comply with Christine's recommendation & I will be happy to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.
Lee Fleck

Hi Lee T,
There was one curse word in your last comment. Because of it, I removed the comment, per our policy. Feel free to re-post your thoughts. We appreciate your taking part in a community dialogue on our site.

Did wordes really own the house or did he swindle it from a poor old lady in a nursing home?...and then even think to repay her? I heard he never made a pyment and then ask the city to pay more for the home than the old lady owed in a mortgage so he could pay her off and make a profit...

I'm surprised none of his supporters mention his mental status as an issue here? He was stated as saying "my guns have been stolen, and for that, I'm not responsible" and "If my guns end up in the wrong hands and KILL an officer, I'm not responsible"....now does Roswell PO need to be his freind?...think NOT!

State the truth renee- show us the deed!

I'm just glad his guns disappeared and he didn't do something more drastic! God bless him and his life in the after, but don't make this a Roswell issue- there's sick folk in this world...Roswell, Atanta and the world. Let's focus on mental issues, not city government issues.

Can you share the specfics of the deed? You and andrew bought the deed from who? How old was she? How much was the deed for? How much of that deed has been paid to date?

We need details renee! Details! Please help us understand the whole picture.

It is sad when anyone takes their life. Over the 13 years he lived here neighbors have reached out to help. Many of the people on the street are old and sick, one on chemo. Many of us have taken his hogs home when they came in our yard and garden and also the dog. We hoped the chickens didn't get hit by a car since they ran loose in the front yard a great deal of the time. Didn't see the goats. You cannot force help on a person if he clearly does not want it (especially if he has guns in the house) and if you do try to force your unwanted help you will end up sitting in jail.

Sir Hog Man, what really scares me is that people like you VOTE.

FYI, Andrew lived at that location for nearly 17-18 years and paid his mortgage until he fell behind as a result of being unemployed the last couple of years. He also advised me that it cost him ten's of thousands to rebuild the house after the property was flooded in 2002, 2004 & 2009 as a result of poorly maintained storm water infrastructure 7 upstream overdevelopement.
FYI, the City failed to timely file with FEMA (which they must do on behalf of a private citizen) and FEMA bought out homes totalling over $8 million in Cobb Couty and some $11 million in Atlanta after the 2009 flood.

It is also my understanding that Mayor Wood was in contact with Andrew's landlord to quell her fears that the city might take action against her.

Maybe you ought to do us all a favor and find out who eventually purchased Andrew’s mortgage for pennies on the dollar which ultimately resulted in the foreclosure & attempted eviction.

On the day of the tragedy his lawyer was attempting to stop the eviction because this individual's name was not legally included in the filing. That attempt failed.
(See WGSTV Channel 2 Mike Pachenik's report at
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/friends-chicken-man-planned-home-explosion/nLdt2/ )

Lee, you say that woods was in contact with wordes landlord? Why do you have a landord if you own the house? Wouldn't woods be contacting the bank? Or was the bank an elderly lady in a nursing home who was "giving the home" to wordes in hopes that he'd repay the mortgage?...if so, seems like the victim is ms. Elderly? I'm totally confused? BTY-i vote every election.

Sir, You really don't have a clue do you?

Can you tell us the amount the amount that was paid on the motgage by Mr. Wordes? To the landlord or the bank? I just think it would help put this in a little perspective?

Sir, Andrew's mortgage was held by an individual and not a bank. And I have no idea how much equity he might have had in the property. It simply was not my business nor the City's.

Hog Man, you want to know so much personal info about Andrew, why don't you tell us who YOU are and why you have such a deep seated problem with him? Or perhaps you are just a crony of the Roswell government, and you are too cowardly to use your real name?

Hog Man,

The fact is that you're making assertions which you can't prove. Its comical that you are accusing Andrew Wordes, who nearly everyone says was a kind, sweet man, of swindling an old woman on his mortgage... especially when you have absolutely no proof or even vague evidence for.

If you are looking for a conspiracy, you should educate yourself on the series of events carried out by the city of Roswell that drove this nearly homeless man to end his own life. In the mean time, please research the "moving the goalposts" logical fallacy.

One idea that you eluded to (I think.. it was hard to tell) that I do actually agree with is that there should be a deeper investigation about everything that happened. The city of Roswell is in desperate need of accountability, and the residents if Roswell should demand it. The truth about what was done to Andrew Wordes should be the focus here.

Thank you all for your additions to the discussion on this page. I would like to take a moment to remind everyone to please keep comments civil toward one another.

Mr. Rob, All we were told was that he had created an explosion in his house. Nobody knew he was in it. Yes, I was mad when I heard about the explosion because we have children and people walking in the area. We thought this was just another episode. For the last couple of years the media has blocked the streets and been at his house for some reason and even said this was for attention. We could not understand why he just didn't obey the law like everyone else. As far as having a phobia. If you will read my comments I said be informed about any group and their agenda and if this is considered a phobia I hope I never lose it.

"I'd like to know what role Roswell's elected city solicitor, Milton Barwick, played in all this - both officially and behind the scenes. Does anyone know?"

Unless a "whistle-blower" steps forward we will never know.

Hog man, I bet you work for the city of Roswell. And you're also one of these people who equates gun ownership with whackoism!! Gunphobes are a threat to freedom because they want to disarm everybody else. Lee Fleck, would you consider leading the whistle-blower brigade? You're articulate and intelligent and gutsy! A hard investigation needs to be conducted into this tragic and totally unnecessary situation. Certainly some of those city officials/employees should be fired. Whoever it was at the city who took steps leading up to the mortgage-holder foreclosing on Mr. Wordes should be put on the street himself! And all of you apologists for the city should be smart enough to realize that if they could treat Chicken Man like they did, then ANYBODY could be the city's next victim. We see what they're capable of. If I were Chicken Man's neighbors, I'd be nervous - the city really might want your property for a park!

And yes, something has to happen. I have lived in this city over 13 years and until this was proud to tell any and everybody. This is the first time I've ever truly been embarrassed by and disappointed In Roswell.

I never agreed with what they were doing to Mr. Wordes, but assumed cooler heads would someday prevail and a satisfactory arrangement would be reached. It seems the city would have none of it, no matter what. They just couldn't stand to lose those cases. I guess they thought it looked bad. Nope... THIS makes them look bad. Very bad. On a national level even. What great press for one of America's best places to raise a family, huh?

The investigation needs to have started days ago. The GBI needs to get involved and probably the FBI. Roswell probably has too many cronies in the GBI for an effective investigation to happen with solely them running the show.

People tend to sit back and look at government as a thing. An object that takes cares of the things that need to be taken care of. They lose sight of the fact that government is people. People that have ambitions, be they political aspirations or just being head city clerk. These ambitions often create serious ethical issues. Greed, corruption, etc. Of course sometimes the traits are there to begin with. Sometimes it's all about a power trip, sometimes ego.

The fact is a lot of these people choose the unethical path at times for whatever reason there may be. If you get multiple people, especially those distributed through multiple departments, possibly even through multiple governments, working together in such a fashion, it's a recipe for disaster.

Sometimes maybe a man dies because of it, other times only property is lost, or perhaps a parent has their child taken away. In more extreme cases dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands end up dead because of such corruption. Just because what I describe in the last sentence hasn't happened in THIS country, doesn't mean it's not possible. The governments here know to stick to bullying the individual, family or perhaps a neighborhood where a new freeway needs to go. Of course even then they don't usually stoop to the level we've seen with this situation. Regardless, there isn't a level of corruption that is acceptable.

Don't think it can't happen to you? It most certainly can. You're quiet, obey the law, keep to yourself and don't cause any trouble? Doesn't matter. A lot of people that find themselves victims of such harassment say the same thing. Upset the wrong people about something, even over something very small and benign, and you could find yourself living your own personal little nightmare. Some individuals are very vindictive, some take things personally that they should not, and unfortunately some of them might hold some kind of power over you in your local government.

Wait... obviously they do if you live in Roswell.

In fact, the thoughts above already crossed my mind years ago. Around the same time as one of Mr. Wordes's incidents with the city, the city had recently did work in the right of way between my property and the street. During this, they decided to also tear up my yard a good six feet away from the right of way. I received no notification they were going to do this, no apology after it was done, and when the work was finished, they filled the hole back in leaving a nice section of dirt that became a nice mud bog. This would have been frustrating enough if they just had left the right of way an eyesore, but they did it to my property as well. Well I waited thinking they would come back with some sod or something. Nothing ever happened. Guess who fixed it? Of course it was me.
Many times I thought about picking up the phone or writing an email, but I then I'd remember reading the news about Mr. Wordes. If they'd go to all that trouble over a man with chickens, I figured it wasn't worth possibly getting my name on a blacklist of some kind. Pretty sad, huh? Land of the free, baby!

So this article should come as no surprise: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/27/10812551-states-with-the-most-lax-anti-corruption-laws?gt=43001

Hope most of y'all enjoyed my novel tonight. Hah! Or at least made you think.

Ramona: I'm a lot more concerned about the Roswell government than I am Islam. And yes I'm pretty informed about Islam. I don't take things only from context. The Bible can have some pretty awful sounding passages in it if taken out of context, and depending on an individual's personal interpretation, could be down right horrific if that interpretation was spread to others as truth. The closed minded and/or prejudiced will usually find what they are looking for one way or another. See, you turn a blind eye to Roswell's actions with Mr. Wordes because it ended up benefiting you personally. Those of us with no personal interest can see much clearer.

Andrew, my dear friend, will be laid to rest today. Please keep his family, multitude of friends, and many supporters in your prayers.

For those concerned about what transpired with Mr. Wordes, I recommend that you check out this blog. It's full of good information that needs to be shared. www.theperspicaciousconservative.com/2012/03/26/its-not-over/

Wow, reading Ramona May's remarks makes me think of the wicked witch neighbor that took Toto away from Dorothy, just sayin'...Ramona, you've got some serious mental issues apparently you need to deal with. I will laugh when the city uses eminent domain to steal your house.

who is going to clean up the mess at the house on alpine? cars, refrigerators, a boat that looks like it ran ashore? maybe some of the folks that cared for him so will help?...can you come and take some some of the trash away? lets have a memorial clean up....or will the taxpayers of roswell have to deal with this too?

Michael, Before you judge there are a lot of facts you have no idea about. My husband has worked in Mr. Wordes yard in the past. When the chicken issue started I was totally on his side. Didn't mind a few chickens and thought it was cute. Made up chicken cards to show friends and would have gone to battle for him. After a time I saw a lot of things happening that I knew were wrong so I threw away the cards and gave up. It is hard to watch something unfold that no matter what you try being kind, mean or whatever doesn't work. If I sound mean it is because I have been upset and mad at him and a lot of other people. This could have been solved along time ago. No one should take their life when there is a better way. As I have said before you cannot force help on a person. I am and will continue to be upset and mad for a long time about this whole situation.

Tar. Feathers. Rail. Rope. Next!

This is the sort of thing that should NEVER happen in America.
This tragedy is not solely about Mr. Wordes. And it is certainly not about chickens.

It is about the egregious uses to which government power may be put. It was a simple case of Mr. Wordes offending individuals in the machine of government and the reality that a very few civil servants simply didn't like him.

Citizens of Roswell, we have a bigger problem on their hands than a merely corrupt government. This travesty take us right past corrupt and into deliberately evil.

As John Adams said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

I am placing the blame for this tragedy squarely upon the people of Roswell. And I hope and pray that we all come to an understanding of our duties and responsibilities. I encourage the citizens of Roswell take a much firmer hold of their governmental apparatus in the future.

Andrew Wordes’ tragedy is the true meaning of "Live Free or Die".

George Washington stated: “Which is more blameworthy, those who will see and steadily pursue their own interest or those who cannot see or seeing will not act wisely ?”

What happened to Mr. Wordes could happen to any of us. It is our not only our right but our DUTY to raise awareness on this horrible, tragic situation and DEMAND that a criminal investigation is conducted. If we dont stand up for others rights there will be no one left to stand up for ours!

Krist, On April 30 at 7 PM there will be an "Open Mic" city Council meeting where any membet of the public may speek for as lon as they wish. I encourage any interested citizen to come forward,

Roswell Police deny access of visiting press to Roswell City Hall (you will not read about it in the local print press):
http://www.infowars.com/infowars-reporters-harassed-by-cops-for-asking-questions-about-chicken-man/

Lee, thank you for the info on "open mic" night. I will be there. Hopefully we will have more luck than Darren Mc brean.

Mr. Turner, the most appropriate protocols would be to start with the Fulton County DA Paul Howard's office.
The Assistant DA's name is Todd Ashley. He has an office in North Fulton off of North Point Parkway.
Phone # is 404-730-4980

You Tube Link(s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4r3EkpgrVg&feature=relmfu

Hi all, I am entering into this a little late. Originally from Iowa, moved here from Phoenix about 9 months ago. My dad was going through similar things as Andy. What's the latest? How can I get involved? How or should we hold anyone accountable for this?